Divisions

Communication Research

Communication is one of the most essential features of being human. Speech, body language and writing all satisfy the basic human desire to communicate with others. The conventions, standards and formats of such communication are called `protocols´. Unlike humans, computers communication requires the careful design, development and analysis of new techniques and protocols. Our research aims to enable and improve the networking of computers, mobile phones and sensing devices, both over wired and wireless networks.

The Internet´s explosion of devices, connectivity and information has led to an engineering project far in excess of its creators original vision. Currently, billions of computers are globally interconnected and communicating - sharing text, voices, songs and movies over webpages, Peer-to-Peer networks and streaming services. Next-generation networks will enable even richer interactions, incorporating data from sensor networks monitoring our environment, or even computing hardware being embedded in all physical objects enabling "The Internet of Things".

Effectively moving such volume and variety of information will require new techniques in the underlying mechanisms of the Internet through the creation of intelligent, flexible, high-capacity networks. We are actively researching Content Centric Networking, where data is obtained through indicating the required information properties, rather than the source. Such paradigm shifts can help deliver increased resilience and reduced configuration of systems.

The increased importance of networking to society and the economy means that the correct and secure operation of these systems in the face of damaged, malicious or selfish entities is of great concern. Users must have trust in networked computer systems and the quality of the information they provide. Reliable and resilient operation has even greater importance in applications of sensing and ubiquitous communication that are more tightly coupled to the real world, e.g. environmental monitoring, personal health and disaster response. We are developing the next generation of durable, easily deployable networked systems for such situations.

Our group pursues research and development of ideas and technology to solve these kinds of challenges. We perform this work with a focus on the practicality of our solutions through hands on experimentation and empiricism.